Downstream health and wellness

Suncor takes the issue of downstream health concerns seriously. We also recognize that many stakeholders continue to express distrust of the oil sands industry and government studies.

That's why we are making a renewed effort to ensure residents in the Wood Buffalo region understand more about Suncor's operations and the steps we continue to take to protect regional water, land and air quality as we strive to be trusted stewards of valuable natural resources.

Keeping communication channels open

A key part of this effort is maintaining open, respectful, two-way communication with downstream residents. It's also about living up to our obligation to:

keep them apprised on a timely basis of the investigations into such incidents and corrective actions we undertake

One of the ways we keep the lines of communication open is through the advisory committees we've established with several First Nations in the Wood Buffalo region. We are currently exploring ways to further improve the quality and effectiveness of this kind of dialogue.

Living up to the triple bottom line

We are also committed to promoting the health and wellness of downstream residents by living up to our 'triple bottom line' vision of sustainable development. That means working with our Aboriginal neighbours to:

foster economic prosperity

improve social well-being

protect a healthy environment for future generations

Some of the ways we aspire to do this include:

A relentless focus on continuous improvement in Suncor's environmental performance and our monitoring practices and procedures. Suncor also strongly supports a recent joint move by the Alberta and Canadian governments to strengthen environmental monitoring for air, water, land and biodiversity in the oil sands region. Water quality monitoring is of particular importance to communities downstream of our oil sands operations. We continue to do testing as far north as Fort Chipewyan and have offered to have community members observe the process for a first-hand look at our monitoring practices and procedures.

Investing in programs that support individual and community health and wellness. Examples include support for a breakfast program at the Athabasca Delta Community School in Fort Chipewyan as well as cultural programs and elders' retreats in the Wood Buffalo region.

Improving regional health-care delivery by supporting initiatives such as the Fort Chipewyan Telehealth project, which provides advanced equipment and telehealth connections for remote communities that rely on visiting doctors for consultations and diagnoses.

Suncor will continue to work collaboratively with downstream residents to better understand their concerns and find ways to further advance individual and community health and wellness.